Slip-resistant hosiery

ABSTRACT

A slip-resistant hosiery is provided to reduce slipping of a foot within a shoe. In an example embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a body adapted to cover a foot of a wearer, a first gripping surface positioned at an outer surface section of the body, and a second gripping surface positioned at an interior surface section of the body. The first and second gripping surfaces are adapted to cover a posterior surface of a heel of the foot. The gripping surfaces may be at least semi-transparent. In another example embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a body adapted to cover a foot of a wearer, a first gripping surface positioned at an outer surface section of the body adapted to cover a surface above the plantar surface of the foot, and the first gripping surface is at least semi-transparent.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following generally relates to hosiery.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Various types of hosieries, such as tights, pantyhose, leggings andsocks are well known in the art. In general, hosieries serve as anintermediate layer between a wearer's foot and footwear to protect theskin of the wearer's foot from being rubbed directly against thefootwear, since excessive rubbing of the foot may cause calluses andblisters to develop on the foot among other issues.

More specifically, a number of different types of hosieries are oftenproduced using a material that has an easily slideable surface. Forexample, pantyhose are close-fitting legwear that are typically made offabric such as nylon or other materials blended with nylon. Pantyhoseare often worn for variety of purposes, such as to keep the feet and thelegs warm, to keep the feet and the legs protected from the sun, or toappear fashionable. Although a variety of different footwear can be wornin conjunction with such hosiery, it is common for many women to wearhigh-heeled shoes and other fashionable footwear that generally provideminimal contact surface between the hosiery and the footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments of slip-resistant hosiery will now be described byway of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a medial side view of a person's foot.

FIG. 2 is a lateral side view of the person's foot.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the person's foot.

FIG. 4 is an example embodiment of hosiery.

FIG. 5 is another example embodiment of hosiery.

FIG. 6 is yet another example embodiment of hosiery.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a posterior surface of a heel.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an outer and an innergripping surface being positioned on the hosiery in an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an outer and an innergripping surface being embedded within the hosiery in an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an outer and an innergripping surface being formed by respective surfaces of a grippingmaterial embedded within the hosiery in an example embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering the posterior surface of the heel beingworn in conjunction with a high-heeled shoe.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of hosiery shown in FIG. 9being worn in conjunction with a high-heeled shoe.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of hosiery shown in FIG. 10being worn in conjunction with a high-heeled shoe.

FIG. 15 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering the posterior surface of the heel beingworn in conjunction with a slingback shoe.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of hosiery shown in FIG. 11being worn in conjunction with a slingback shoe.

FIG. 17 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a posterior surface of a heel and aperimeter region of a plantar surface of the heel.

FIG. 18 is a rear view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shown inFIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is the bottom view of the hosiery in the example embodimentshown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a dorsal surface of a forefoot.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shownin FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering the dorsal surface of the forefoot beingworn in conjunction with an open back shoe.

FIG. 23 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering the dorsal surface of the forefoot beingworn in conjunction with the slingback shoe.

FIG. 24 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a dorsal surface and a perimeter region ofa plantar surface of a forefoot.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shownin FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is the bottom view of the hosiery in the example embodimentshown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a surface of a longitudinal arch of thefoot.

FIG. 28 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a surface of a longitudinal arch of thefoot and a perimeter region of the plantar surface of the foot.

FIG. 29 is a bottom view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering the medial surface of the longitudinalarch of the foot, lateral surface of the longitudinal arch of the footand a perimeter region of the plantar surface of the foot.

FIG. 30 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a dorsal surface of the forefoot, themedial surface of the longitudinal arch, the posterior surface of theheel, and the lateral surface of the longitudinal arch.

FIG. 31 is a rear view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shown inFIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a front view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shownin FIG. 30.

FIG. 33 is a side view of an example embodiment of hosiery with agripping surface for covering a dorsal surface of the forefoot, themedial surface of the longitudinal arch, the posterior surface of theheel, the lateral surface of the longitudinal arch, and a perimeterregion of the plantar surface of the foot.

FIG. 34 is a rear view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shown inFIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a front view of the hosiery in the example embodiment shownin FIG. 33.

FIG. 36 is the bottom view of the hosiery in the example embodimentshown in FIG. 33.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated amongthe figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein.However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the example embodiments described herein may be practiced withoutthese specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not toobscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the descriptionis not to be considered as limiting the scope of the example embodimentsdescribed herein.

It has been observed that when hosiery made of a slippery material isworn, the wearer's feet will tend to unintentionally slip out of thefootwear. This is more noticeable when only there is little contactsurface area between the worn hosiery and the footwear, and only lowfriction is present between the footwear and the hosiery. Additionally,hosiery that easily slide against the inside of the footwear can causeuncomfortable rubbing sensation for the wearer with each step.Similarly, it has been recognized that hosiery that easily slide againstthe foot of the wearer can also cause similar problems.

As such, wearers can often encounter uncomfortable or hazardoussituations when insufficient friction is present between the hosiery andthe footwear being worn by the wearer, or between the hosiery and theskin of the foot of the wearer, or a combination thereof.

Although various solutions have been proposed for solving similarproblems, known solutions for providing grip tend to be too bulky due tothe thickness of the gripping surface, unfashionable due to the obviouspresence of the gripping surface, or tend to cover undesirable portionsof the wearer's feet, such as the entire sole of the wearer's feet, tomake the wearer feel uncomfortable due to excessive grip and moisturebeing trapped by the presence of the gripping surface. Exampleembodiments of slip-resistant hosiery are described herein to address atleast one of these issues.

A medial side view, a dorsal side view, and a bottom view of a typicalfoot of a person are illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Toassist in the explanation of the slip-resistant hosiery, the foot 1 isshown as having at least six main surface portions: a dorsal surface ofthe forefoot 5, a medial surface of the longitudinal arch 3, a lateralsurface of the longitudinal arch 4, a posterior surface of the heel 2, aplantar surface of the heel 7 and a plantar surface of the forefoot 8.The plantar surfaces of the foot are shown in FIG. 3.

The dorsal surface of forefoot 5 generally encompasses the top area oftoes and the area surrounding the toes as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.However, in other example embodiments, the dorsal surface of theforefoot may only contain the toes, or may only contain an area nearbythe toes.

The medial surface of the longitudinal arch 3 generally encompasses theinner side of the foot 1. The medial surface of the longitudinal archmay also be the area between the dorsal surface of the forefoot 5 andthe posteromedial surface of the heel 2. Similarly, the lateral surfaceof the longitudinal arch 4 generally encompasses the outer side of thefoot 1. The lateral surface of the longitudinal arch may also be thearea between the dorsal surface of forefoot 5 and the posterior surfaceof heel 2.

The posterior surface of the heel 2 generally contains an area nearby oron the back of the foot 1. For example, the posterior surface of theheel 2 may only contain the rear most portion of the heel. In anotherembodiment, the posterior surface includes an area between theposteromedial to posterolateral surface of the heel, as shown in FIGS. 1and 2. Additionally, the posterior surface of the heel 2 may extendupwards to cover at least a portion of the Achilles tendon.

FIG. 3 shows the bottom view of the foot. The plantar surface of thefoot 6 generally encompasses the entire sole of the foot 1, whereas theplantar surface of the heel 7 encompasses a heel portion of the sole ofthe foot, and the plantar surface of the forefoot 8 encompasses the areasurrounding the toe portion of the sole of the foot, which may alsoinclude the plantar surfaces of the toes.

The surface portions of the foot are shown in FIGS. 1-3 as an exampleonly, and each surface portion may be defined using various shapes,sizes and configurations according to the locations described herein.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate different types of example hosiery to which agripping surface can be applied.

FIG. 4 shows pantyhose, FIG. 5 shows a pair of socks, and FIG. 6 shows apair of leggings. The hosiery may be made of materials such as nylon,wool, silk, or cashmere, for example, and it typically fits snug overthe wearer's foot. However, it should be understood that the grippingsurface described herein may be applied to any type of garments wornover a wearer's feet, and is therefore not limited to the types ofhosiery illustrated in the figures or the types of materials describedabove.

A side view of an example embodiment of the slip-resistant hosiery isshown in FIG. 7, wherein a body of a hosiery 10 is shown having agripping surface 11 placed on an outer surface of a section of thehosiery 10 for covering the posterior surface of a heel. The rear viewof the same embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. In an example embodiment, thegripping surface 11 also extends to the posteromedial surface of theheel and the posterolateral surface of the heel.

In general, the term “slip-resistant hosiery” herein refers to a body ofhosiery that includes a gripping surface positioned at least on theouter surface section of the body.

The term “gripping surface” herein refers to a surface which providesimproved friction for the hosiery. The hosiery may also additionallygrip the skin of the person's foot. The gripping surface may, forexample, be a polymeric material such as silicone. However, the grippingsurface may be any type of polymer, resin, or any other types ofmaterial that provides improved friction against the interior of thefootwear and the skin of the person's foot. The gripping surface,whether positioned at the outer surface or the inner surface of thehosiery, has a higher coefficient of friction compared to thecoefficient of friction of the body of hosiery.

It will be appreciated that the relative or absolute values of thecoefficient of friction of the gripping surface and the coefficient offriction of the body of the hosiery may vary, taking into account thatthe coefficient of friction of the gripping surface is greater than thecoefficient of friction than the body of the hosiery. The following is alist of non-limiting example embodiments describing the values of thecoefficient of friction. In an example embodiment, the coefficient offriction of the gripping surface is at least 10% greater than thecoefficient of friction of the body of the hosiery. In an exampleembodiment, the coefficient of friction of the gripping surface is atleast 20% greater than the coefficient of friction of the body of thehosiery. In an example embodiment, the coefficient of friction of thegripping surface is at least 30% greater than the coefficient offriction of the body of the hosiery. In an example embodiment, thecoefficient of friction of the gripping surface is at least 40% greaterthan the coefficient of friction of the body of the hosiery. In anexample embodiment, the coefficient of friction of the gripping surfaceis at least 50% greater than the coefficient of friction of the body ofthe hosiery. In an example embodiment, the coefficient of friction ofthe gripping surface is at least 60% greater than the coefficient offriction of the body of the hosiery. In an example embodiment, thecoefficient of friction of the gripping surface is at least 70% greaterthan the coefficient of friction of the body of the hosiery. In anexample embodiment, the coefficient of friction of the gripping surfaceis at least 80% greater than the coefficient of friction of the body ofthe hosiery In an example embodiment, the coefficient of friction of thegripping surface is at least 90% greater than the coefficient offriction of the body of the hosiery. In an example embodiment, thecoefficient of friction of the gripping surface is at least 100% greaterthan the coefficient of friction of the body of the hosiery. In anexample embodiment, the gripping surface has a coefficient of frictiongreater than 0.5.

The gripping surface may be secured to the hosiery in a number ofdifferent ways, depending on the type of hosiery used and the choice ofmaterial for providing the gripping surface. For example, the grippingsurface is directly or indirectly sprayed on, molded on, or embeddedwithin the body of the hosiery. In another embodiment, the grippingsurface is weaved into the fabric of the hosiery. In another exampleembodiment, the gripping surface is pre-formed and then secured to thehosiery using glue or any other methods.

In an example embodiment, the gripping surface is at leastsemi-transparent. In another example embodiment, the gripping surface istransparent. A semi-transparent or transparent gripping surface isdesirable because it is not easily visible to people. This would makethe slip-resistant hosiery more fashionably appealing while stillproviding a gripping surface. In another example embodiment, thegripping surface is opaque. In another example embodiment, the grippingsurface has a color tint matching a color of the skin or a color of thehosiery, such that the presence of the gripping surface is not easilydetected by eye. In example embodiments where there is an outer grippingsurface and an inner gripping surface, the outer gripping surface mayhave a color tint matching the color of the body of the hosiery, or boththe inner and the outer gripping surfaces have the color tint. The useof color for the gripping surface applies to semi-transparent and opaquematerials. This enables a person to wear the hosiery with footwearhaving different designs and configurations without having to worryabout the gripping surface being exposed in an unsightly manner.

In another example embodiment, the gripping surface comprises a materialthat stretches easily, such as an elastomer, for example, such that thegripping surface stretches to conform to the profile of the wearer'sfeet to provide additional comfort. The use of elastomer also enablesthe same hosiery to be worn by wearers with different sizes of feet.

In a preferred example embodiment, the gripping surface has a lowprofile, or, in other words, is thin. In some example embodiments, thegripping surface is embedded within the hosiery. In these ways, a personwearing the slip-resistant hosiery will not be able to easily feel anyraised bumps or surfaces. The person wearing the slip-resistant hosierywill feel as if he or she is wearing a typical hosiery garment, however,with the advantage of reduced slipping against the interior of the shoeand the person's foot. It is recognized, for example, that high-profileor thick material added to hosiery would reduce the amount of room in awearer's shoe, and may undesirably change the feel or fitting of theshoe when wearing hosiery with thick material.

Continuing with the example embodiment of the slip-resistant hosiery 10shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, by placing the gripping surface 11 to coverthe posterior surface of the heel, a person wearing the slip-resistanthosiery will be provided with better grip when wearing a shoe. When thehosiery is worn with a shoe, the gripping surface 11 is positioned to bein contact with at least the inner surface of the heel portion of theshoe. Therefore, when the person lifts their foot upwards, for examplewhen taking a step, the gripping surface 11 will grip onto the innersurface of the heel portion of the shoe. In this way, the person's heeldoes not slip or slide out of the shoe, even when wearing hosiery. Inanother example embodiment, a gripping surface may also be provided onthe inner surface of hosiery to grip the person's skin such that theslippage of the person's foot against the hosiery is reduced. The innergripping surface may be positioned at any location on the inner surfaceof the hosiery. For example, the inner gripping surface may bepositioned at the same section of the hosiery as the outer grippingsurface, or the inner gripping surface and the outer gripping surfacemay be positioned at different sections of the hosiery.

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of an example embodiment of theslip-resistant hosiery 10 having a gripping surface 11, which includesan outer gripping surface 11 a and an inner gripping surface 11 b beingpositioned on the surface of hosiery 10. The outer gripping surface 11 ais positioned on the outer surface of the hosiery 10, and is adapted toengage the inner surface of the heel portion of the shoe to reduce theslippage of hosiery against the shoe. The inner gripping surface 11 b ispositioned on the inner surface of the hosiery 10, and is similarlyadapted to engage the skin at the person's posterior surface of the heelto provide increased friction, and therefore reduce the slippage ofhosiery against the person's foot.

FIG. 10 shows an enlarged view of another example embodiment of theslip-resistant hosiery 10 having a gripping surface 11, which includesan embedded outer gripping surface 11 c and an embedded inner grippingsurface 11 d. As shown in the figure, both embedded gripping surfaces 11c, 11 d are integrated within the hosiery 10, and therefore do not addany significant thickness to the gripping surface 11. As describedpreviously, the embedded outer gripping surface 11 c is adapted to gripthe inner surface of the heel portion of the shoe, while the embeddedinner gripping surface 11 d is adapted to grip the skin at the person'sposterior surface of the heel.

FIG. 11 shows an enlarged view of another example embodiment of theslip-resistant hosiery 10 having a gripping surface 11, which includes agripping material 12 embedded within the hosiery 10 to form an outergripping surface 11 e and an inner gripping surface 11 f. The outer andthe inner gripping surfaces are effectively formed by the outer and theinner surfaces of the embedded gripping material 12, and similar toprevious example embodiments, the outer gripping surface 11 e is adaptedto grip the inner surface of the shoe while the inner gripping surface11 f is adapted to grip the skin of the wearer's foot. In other words,the outer gripping surface and the inner gripping surface are surfacesof a unitary piece of gripping material. The gripping material 12 may beembedded within the hosiery 10 using a variety of different methods. Forexample, a polymeric gripping material 12 may be embedded by submerginga portion of the hosiery 10 a solution containing the monomers, suchthat the monomers are adhered to the fabric of the hosiery. The monomersmay then be polymerized to effectively form an embedded polymericgripping material. In another example, at least a portion of the hosiery10 may be submerged in a solution containing polymers, then the polymersadhered to the fabric of the hosiery may be cured, for example byexposing the polymers to heat or UV, such that the cured polymers becomeembedded within the hosiery. In yet another example, the hosiery mayinclude a hole adapted to receive a gripping material, thus enabling thegripping material to be integrally formed within the hole.Alternatively, a prefabricated gripping material may be positionedwithin the hole and secured to the hosiery. The method and process forembedding the gripping material may vary depending on the fabric of thehosiery and the gripping material selected, among other factors. Themethod and process described above are examples only, and it will beunderstood that other suitable methods and processes may be used to formthe gripping surfaces. Additionally, similar methods and processes,including those described above, may be used to form gripping surfacesaccording to any of the other example embodiments.

The inner and outer gripping surfaces are shown in FIGS. 9-11 asexamples only. It will be appreciated that other forms of constructionfor the gripping surface may be used, and furthermore, these forms ofconstruction, including those shown in FIGS. 9-11, may similarly beapplied to other embodiments of slip-resistant hosiery described herein.

In FIGS. 9-11, the outer gripping surface and the inner gripping surfaceare shown as being positioned on opposite surfaces of the same sectionof the body of the hosiery 10. However, in another example embodiment,the inner and outer gripping surfaces are positioned at differentsections of the body of the hosiery.

The example embodiment of the slip-resistant hosiery shown in FIG. 7 andin FIG. 8 can be used when wearing various shoes, including heels asillustrated in FIG. 12, and slingback shoes, as illustrated in FIG. 15.In FIG. 12, the gripping surface 11 may be positioned and oriented onthe hosiery 10, such that when the hosiery 10 is worn, the grippingsurface 11 is covered by the heel of the shoe 50 and is not visible tothe eye.

FIG. 13 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gripping surface11 including an outer gripping surface 11 a and an inner grippingsurface 11 b positioned on the surface of the hosiery 10. As shown inthe figure, the outer gripping surface 11 a grips against the innersurface of the shoe 50, while the inner gripping surface 11 b grips theskin of the person's foot 1.

FIG. 14 shows a similar enlarged cross-sectional view of the grippingsurface 11 including an embedded outer gripping surface 11 c and anembedded inner gripping surface 11 d. Since the gripping surfaces 11 c,11 d are embedded within the hosiery 10, it does not add a significantamount of thickness of the hosiery, if any, and thus provide a tighterfit to the wearer's foot 1 as shown in the figure. The tighter fit mayalso enable the outer gripping surface 11 c and the inner grippingsurface 11 d to retain a better grip against the inner surface of theshoe 50 and the wearer's foot 1, respectively.

The combination of the inner gripping surface and the outer grippingsurface generally reduces the slippage of both hosiery and the shoeexperienced by the wearer.

In FIG. 15, the slip-resistant hosiery is worn with a slingback shoe. Asshown in the figure, the gripping surface 11 may be made to have smallerarea compared to the hosiery shown in FIG. 12, such that when thehosiery 10 is worn with a slingback shoe 51, the gripping surface 11 ismostly or completely covered by the slingback strap 55 and is not easilyvisible to the eye.

The gripping surface 11 of the slip-resistant hosiery 10 may furtherinclude an outer gripping surface 11 e and an inner gripping surface 11f as shown in FIG. 16. The outer gripping surface 11 e and the innergripping surface 11 f are shown as being formed by the respectivesurfaces of an embedded gripping material 12. As with previouslydescribed example embodiments, the outer gripping surface 11 e isadapted to engage the slingback strap 55 of the shoe, while the innergripping surface 11 f is adapted to engage the skin of the wearer's foot1.

For open-toed shoes, it can be desirable to have the gripping surfacelocated only at the rear portion of the hosiery, so that the grippingsurface is not visible at the open-toe portion of the shoe.

Turning to FIGS. 17-19, another example embodiment of slip-resistanthosiery 10 is shown, wherein the gripping surface 15 positioned at therear of the hosiery 10 is sufficiently large to cover at least a portionof the plantar surface of the heel.

In the side view of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 17, the grippingsurface 15 extends slightly onto the plantar surface of the wearer'sheel, however, it is preferred to leave at least a portion of theplantar surface of heel uncovered in order to maintain breathability anda level of comfort for the wearer. The uncovered region is also shown inFIGS. 18 and 19, illustrating the rear view and the bottom view of thehosiery 10, respectively.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 19, the gripping surface 15 covers theouter perimeter region of the plantar surface of the heel in an exampleembodiment. The gripping surface 15 may further include an innergripping surface and an outer gripping surface as described previously.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show an example embodiment of slip-resistant hosierywith a gripping surface positioned to cover the dorsal surface offorefoot.

The example embodiment shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 reduces slipping of theshoe by placing the gripping surface 21 near the front of the wearer'sfoot. This example embodiment may be particularly useful when the weareris wearing, for example, open back shoes that do not have any contactsurface near the rear portion of the shoes, or slingback shoes that havenarrow straps, since the gripping surface 21 is not visible to the eyewhen worn under such shoes. The gripping surface 21 may further includean outer gripping surface and an inner gripping surface as described inprevious embodiments, such that the slippage of both the shoe and thefoot against the hosiery are reduced by the hosiery.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show the hosiery in FIG. 20 being worn with an open backshoe 53 and a slingback shoe 51, respectively. When an open back shoe 53is being worn as shown in FIG. 22, the gripping surface 21 is covered bythe shoe 53, and is not visible to the eye. However, when the wearer iswalking, the gripping surface 21 resists the shoe 53 from slippingagainst the wearer's foot. Similarly in FIG. 23, the gripping surface 21is completely covered by the slingback shoe 51, and the presence of thegripping surface 21 decreases the slippage of the shoe 51, thus reducingthe likelihood of the slingback strap 55 being displaced from itseffective position.

FIGS. 24-26 show a similar example embodiment with a gripping surface 25located near the front of the hosiery 10. The gripping surface 25 isshaped to cover a portion of the plantar surface of a wearer's forefoot.FIG. 24 shows the side view of the hosiery, while FIG. 25 and FIG. 26show the front and the bottom of the hosiery, respectively. It should benoted, in particular with FIG. 26, that it is preferable for at least aportion of the plantar surface of the hosiery 10 to remain uncovered bythe gripping surface 25. In this way, grip is provided on the top andbottom of a person's foot within the shoe, while still providingbreathability and comfort on the plantar surface of the forefoot. Asbest seen in the example embodiment of FIG. 26, only the outer perimeterregion of the plantar surface of the forefoot is covered by the grippingsurface 25. Furthermore, the gripping surface 25 may include an outergripping surface and an inner gripping surface as described previously.

FIG. 27 shows an example embodiment of slip-resistant hosiery 10including a gripping surface 28 positioned on a side of hosiery 10. Thegripping surface is positioned to cover either the medial arch of thewearer's foot or the lateral arch of the wearer's foot, depending onwhich side of hosiery 10 the gripping surface 28 is placed.Alternatively, the gripping surface 28 may be positioned to cover boththe medial and the lateral arches of the foot by positioning thegripping surface 28 on both sides of hosiery 10. Furthermore, thegripping surface 28 may include an outer gripping surface and an innergripping surface as described in previous embodiments. Theslip-resistant hosiery 10 having a gripping surface 28 being positionedon the side may be particularly useful when the wearer desires to wearboth an open-back shoe and an open-toe shoe with the same hosiery. Sinceboth the open-back shoe and the open-toe shoe covers the arch of thewearer's foot, the wearer may wear the same slip-resistant hosieryhaving a gripping surface on the side with both designs of shoes withoutthe worry of a portion of the gripping surface being exposed outside theshoe.

FIG. 28 shows an example embodiment of slip-resistant hosiery 10including a gripping surface 29 positioned on the side of hosiery 10which extends to cover a portion of the plantar surface of the wearer'sfoot to provide additional grip against at least the interior surface ofthe shoe. The gripping surface 29 may further include an interiorgripping surface to reduce the slippage of hosiery 10 against the footof the user. The gripping surface 29 may be positioned to cover themedial surface of the longitudinal arch of the wearer's foot or thelateral surface of the longitudinal arch of the wearer's foot. Thegripping surface 29 preferably extends to only cover a perimeter regionof the plantar surface of the foot. Furthermore, the hosiery 10 mayinclude an additional gripping surface to cover both the medial surfaceand the lateral surface of the longitudinal arch of the wearer's foot.

FIG. 29 shows an example embodiment of the slip-resistant hosiery 10including at least two gripping surfaces 29 a, 29 b positioned on thesides of the hosiery 10, and the gripping surfaces extending to cover aportion of the plantar surface of the wearer's foot. As shown in FIG.29, the gripping surfaces 29 a, 29 b cover the medial surface of thelongitudinal arch of the wearer's foot, the lateral surface of thelongitudinal arch of the wearer's foot and a perimeter region of theplantar surface of the wearer's foot. The gripping surfaces 29 a, 29 bmay each further include an inner gripping surface and an outer grippingsurface as previously described.

In another example embodiment of the invention (not shown in thefigures), the hosiery includes a front gripping surface placed on theportion of the hosiery for encompassing the dorsal surface of theforefoot, a medial side gripping surface placed on the portion of thehosiery for encompassing the medial surface of the longitudinal arch, alateral side gripping surface placed on the portion of the hosiery forencompassing the lateral surface of the longitudinal arch and a reargripping surface placed on the portion of the hosiery for encompassingthe posterior surface of the heel without any of the gripping surfacesoverlapping. Furthermore, each of the gripping surfaces may include anouter gripping surface and an inner gripping surface as previouslydescribed.

In another example embodiment of a slip-resistant hosiery, the hosieryincludes a gripping surface positioned to cover a surface of above theplantar surface of the foot. The gripping surface may be placed, forexample, to cover at least one of the dorsal surface of the forefoot,the medial surface of the longitudinal arch, the posterior surface ofthe heel or the lateral surface of the longitudinal arch. However, theplantar surface of the foot may not be covered by the gripping surfacein the example embodiment. Furthermore, the gripping surface may includean outer gripping surface or a combination of an outer gripping surfaceand an inner gripping surface as previously described.

FIGS. 30-32 show an example embodiment of slip-resistant hosiery 10including a continuous gripping surface 31 encompassing the portions ofthe hosiery for covering the dorsal surface of the forefoot, the medialsurface of the longitudinal arch, the posterior surface of the heel andthe lateral surface of the longitudinal arch. FIG. 30 shows the sideview of the hosiery 10, while FIG. 31 shows the rear view and FIG. 32shows the front view of the same embodiment.

There are a number of advantages to forming a continuous grippingsurface. The continuous gripping surface 31 provides a larger grippingsurface area around the front, heel, and sides of the foot, therebyfurther reducing slippage of a wearer's foot within a shoe.Additionally, the continuous gripping surface 31 reduces the likelihoodof the gripping surface peeling off the hosiery because there are lessedges of the gripping surface being exposed in the continuous form.Additionally, a large portion of the dorsal surface of the foot and theentire plantar surface of the foot is not covered by the grippingsurface. Thereby, breathability of the foot is maintained. Further, whenthe wearer takes off their shoes and walks in the hosiery, it will feelto the wearer as if they are wearing typical hosiery. Similarly withprevious embodiments, the continuous gripping surface may furtherinclude an inner gripping surface adapted to grip the skin of thewearer's foot and an outer gripping surface adapted to grip the innersurface of the shoe. The combination of the inner gripping surface andthe outer gripping surface further reduces the slippage of the wearer'sfoot within a shoe.

FIGS. 33-36 show another example embodiment of a slip-resistant hosiery10 including a continuous gripping surface 35 for covering the dorsalsurface of the forefoot, the medial surface of the longitudinal arch,the posterior surface of the heel and the lateral surface of thelongitudinal arch. Further, the continuous gripping surface 35 is sizedand positioned to extend onto at least a portion of the hosiery 10 forcovering a section of the plantar surface of the foot. The side view ofthe embodiment is shown in FIG. 33, the rear view in FIG. 34, the frontview in FIG. 35 and the bottom view is shown in FIG. 36.

It is preferable to maintain at least a portion of the plantar surfaceuncovered from the gripping surface, for example, to maintainbreathability and comfort. As best seen in FIGS. 34 and 36, only theouter perimeter region of the plantar surface of the foot is covered bythe gripping surface 35. In an example embodiment, the gripping surface35 may further include an outer gripping surface and an inner grippingsurface.

It will be appreciated that positioning of the gripping surface, whetheron the outer surface or the inner surface of the body of the hosiery, orboth, can vary. It will also be appreciated that there are manydifferent combinations of the above mentioned surfaces of the foot thatcan be covered by the gripping surface, and all of these combinationsare applicable to slip-resistant hosiery even if these combinations havenot been explicitly described herein.

Non-limiting general example embodiments will now be described,including example aspects of such embodiments.

In a general embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a bodyadapted to cover a foot of a wearer, a first gripping surface positionedat an outer surface section of the body, and a second gripping surfacepositioned at an interior surface section of the body.

In an aspect, the first gripping surface and the second gripping surfaceare positioned on opposite surfaces of the same section of the body.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are surfaces of a unitary piece.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are located at different sections of the body.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to cover a posterior surface of a heel of the foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface has a color tint matchinga color of the body.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to cover a dorsal surface of forefoot of thewearer's foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to cover a medial surface of a longitudinal arch ofthe foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to cover a lateral surface of a longitudinal arch ofthe foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to cover a posterior surface of a heel of the foot,a dorsal surface of forefoot of the wearer's foot, a medial surface of alongitudinal arch of the foot and a lateral surface of a longitudinalarch of the foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are adapted to further cover a perimeter region of a plantarsurface of the heel.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface is at leastsemi-transparent.

In another general embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a bodyadapted to cover a foot of a wearer, a first gripping surface positionedat an outer surface section of the body adapted to cover a surface abovethe plantar surface of the foot, and the first gripping surface is atleast semi-transparent.

In an aspect, the first gripping surface is adapted to cover a posteriorsurface of a heel of the foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface is adapted to cover atleast one of a medial surface of a longitudinal arch of the foot and alateral surface of a longitudinal arch of the foot.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface is adapted to cover adorsal surface of forefoot of the foot.

In another aspect, the slip-resistant hosiery further includes a secondgripping surface positioned at an interior surface section of the body.

In a further aspect, the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are positioned on opposite surfaces of the same section of thebody.

In another further aspect, the first gripping surface and the secondgripping surface are surfaces of a unitary piece.

In another further aspect, the first gripping surface and the secondgripping surface are located at different sections of the body.

In another aspect, the first gripping surface has a color tint matchinga color of the body.

In another general embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a bodyadapted to cover a foot of a wearer, and a first gripping surfacepositioned at an outer surface section of the body adapted to cover adorsal surface of a forefoot of the foot.

In another general embodiment, a slip-resistant hosiery includes a bodyadapted to cover a foot of a wearer, and a first gripping surfacepositioned at an outer surface section of the body adapted to cover aposterior surface of a heel of the foot, wherein the first grippingsurface is at least semi-transparent.

Although not shown in the figures, any number of gripping surfaceshaving various shapes and sizes may be placed on the front, center, orrear portion of the hosiery, or combination thereof, in any number ofconfigurations without departing from the scope of the principlesdescribed herein.

1. A slip-resistant hosiery configured to resist slipping of a foot of awearer against a shoe, comprising: a body adapted to cover the foot; afirst gripping surface positioned at an outer surface section of thebody; and a second gripping surface positioned at an interior surfacesection of the body; and wherein the first gripping surface and thesecond gripping surface are positioned on opposite surfaces of the samesection of the body, and are located on the body to cover a posteriorsurface of a heel of the foot without another gripping surface coveringanother surface of the foot.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The slip-resistant hosieryof claim 1, wherein the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are surfaces of a unitary piece.
 4. (canceled)
 5. (canceled) 6.The slip-resistant hosiery of claim 1, wherein the first grippingsurface has a color tint matching a color of the body.
 7. (canceled) 8.(canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. The slip-resistant hosieryof claim 1, wherein the first gripping surface is at leastsemi-transparent. 12-20. (canceled)
 21. The slip-resistant hosiery ofclaim 1, wherein the first gripping surface and the second grippingsurface are embedded within the body.
 22. (canceled)
 23. Theslip-resistant hosiery of claim 1, wherein the first and the secondgripping surfaces extend to a peteromedial surface of the heel.
 24. Theslip-resistant hosiery of claim 1, wherein the first and the secondgripping surfaces extend to a posterolateral surface of the heel. 25.The slip-resistant hosiery of claim 1, wherein the first and the secondgripping surfaces extend to a peteromedial surface and a posterolateralsurface of the heel.
 26. The slip-resistant hosiery of claim 1, whereinthe first and the second gripping surfaces extend to cover a portion ofthe plantar surface of the heel.
 27. The slip-resistant hosiery of claim26 wherein the first and the second gripping surfaces extend to coveronly an outer perimeter region of the plantar surface of the heel.